Statistics

A breeze tickles my face as I gaze at the meadow before me; you said you would meet me here and nowhere else, the place where our lips first touched as our passions ran unchecked. These years apart have been arduous, ravaging both my heart and soul - I dread to think how unbearable they have been for you.

My mind quickly recalls the anger I felt when you first told me you had enlisted and the numbing acceptance that eventually followed as I came to terms with the fact that I might lose you. Fear paralysed my body every time I scanned the papers or gossiped to the neighbours, but it was never your name and for that I am thankful.

I call out for you now, waiting expectantly for you to show yourself but you are late. I allow my mind to wander further and I foolishly speculate if I will be able to recognise you. Just as quickly as the thought crept into my mind, I push it back to the farthest corner. Though the war may have changed you, I am certain that our two souls could never be unfamiliar.

I hear a gentle rustle of leaves and I know you are here, just as you have been all along; I am no longer lost. My heart quickens and my body tenses as anticipation floods every fibre of my being. I turn to face you and it is as if nothing has changed. We are still those young naive boys with a lust for life and a reckless disregard for our unforgiving society. No difference is made by the fact that one has killed and the other has carried the burden of secrecy alone. In this glorious meadow, our time apart crumble away and I sigh contentedly as you wrap your arms around me, feeling safe once more. You are home at last in my arms.